Standing Alone Together

There are two key ingredients in life’s recipe you need to survive and thrive during times of adversity. Internal strength of character and a band of brothers and sisters standing with you.

Currahee Mountain

The story is told of the first paratroopers in the US Army called Easy Company. One of their regular training drills was to run up and down a three-mile hill called Currahee which means, “We stand alone together.” The Currahee hill became a symbol of the deep comradery and bond of friendship forged between these soldiers as they prepared for the D-Day invasion of Normandy and the battles beyond.

Each paratrooper did stand alone at the airplane door before jumping into the line of enemy fire. However, they lived and fought together once the battle began. These words described Easy Company: “They depended on each other, and the world depended on them.” What a powerful statement of deep friendship, community and purpose.

The lessons learned from Easy Company can be applied to our world – a world in which battles are fought each and every day. In my world over the past two years, I’ve had to battle infection, pain, immobility, loss, lack of purpose, depression, unfulfilled desires, the need for friendship, surgery fatigue, fear, loneliness, and feelings of vulnerability.

Any number of battle fronts can be added to this list you may be dealing with: loss of work, financial difficulty, worry, doubt, emotional pain, cancer, death of a loved one, a weak or struggling faith, disappointment with children or friends, and the list goes on.

From the pages of my own story, I reaffirm the BIG lesson learned from the hill Currahee:

We win our battles when we stand alone together!

We win our battles when we develop both the inner character necessary to endure cold, wind and driving snow PLUS learn to lean on the strength and help of others.

We win our battles alone when we…

• …learn to see beyond our circumstances and learn to hope for a better future.
• …search for and find a higher purpose in life (other than just “get through another day”).
• …feed our minds with stories of survival and courage in the face of difficulties.
• …accept our limitations and embrace the trial as a potential gift.
• …let go of any bitterness or resentment holding us back.

We win battles together when we…

• …stop trying to be a hero and think we have to fight our battles alone.
• …let others help us when we are unable to help ourselves.
• …show our appreciation with words of kindness and gratitude to those who do help.
• …find safe people to share our pain with and who in turn will speak words to build us up in return.
• …ask for and experience the healing and help coming from the spoken prayers of others.

You may be fighting your own battle right now or know someone who is. If you’re the one fighting, reach out to others and don’t try to simply fight your battle alone. If on the other hand, someone you know and love is fighting a battle all alone, find a meaningful way to come alongside and help them fight their battle and live another day.

The words of my testimony are clear…

Life’s battles are won when we stand alone together!

How are you standing alone together?
What is the impact of dealing with challenges this way?